Blue-eyed Marly Melsh came to Minneapolis from Iowa. She grew up with loving parents who believed in a higher power and in kindness and encouraged Melsh to be open-minded and seek out the truth. Melsh, 23, attended Northwestern College - a Christian college in Iowa - before landing a job with CommonBond Communities through AmeriCorps Multicultural Communities in Action. After arriving here, Melsh began meeting Muslims. "The whole community in general impressed me," said Melsh, who described herself as a logical thinker. She officially converted in August during Ramadan - the month of fasting, and now wears a hijab - a headscarf of modesty - and prays five times daily. "I found a lot of truth in Islam that I couldn't find in other religions." In Islam, Melsh sees "a general respect", especially for parents and family. "Everone's human but I just saw a lot of caring acts." In this photo:] Melsh works with children of east and west African immigrants in the Campfire USA's after- school program at a CommonBonds Communities apartment.

David Joles, Dml - Star Tribune

"I Found a lot of Truth"

Article by: DAVID JOLES

Star Tribune

November 9, 2010 - 6:08 PM

Blue-eyed Marly Melsh grew up in Iowa with loving parents who believed in a higher power and encouraged her to be open-minded and seek out the truth. Melsh attended a Christian college in Iowa before landing a job in Minneapolis with CommonBond Communities, a nonprofit that provides affordable housing. After arriving here, Melsh began meeting Muslims. "The whole community in general impressed me," said Melsh, who works with children of east and west African immigrants in Campfire USA's after-school program at a CommonBonds Communities apartment. She officially converted in August during Ramadan, the month of fasting, and now wears a hijab and prays five times daily. "I found a lot of truth in Islam that I couldn't find in other religions," said Melsh, who describes herself as a logical thinker. "Everyone's human, but I just saw a lot of caring acts."